15 Dream
At Gu Sinan's insistence, the little black leopard's cage was placed in her room to prevent it from waking up and running around. The little guy was already asleep in its den, its chubby little legs occasionally twitching, as if it were dreaming about something.
Yan Xu's shout earlier had attracted all the children.
Everyone decided to follow them to Ye Zhenzhen's courtyard.
Yan Xu's family had owned a dog before. He and Gu Sinan took excellent care of the puppy with the other children, feeding it milk powder and preparing its bed without the adults having to lift a finger. They promised to come back to see it the next day before reluctantly going home with their parents.
Ye Zhenzhen coaxed Gu Sinan to sleep before returning to her room. Exhausted from the day, she grabbed her pajamas and went to take a shower, completely unaware of the excitement on the Chinese internet.
In a fan group named "Peach Blossom".
"Sisters, have you seen the behind-the-scenes photos of Zhenzhen filming the variety show?"
"Where? Which variety show?"
“In H city, they went out to sea on a yacht, and the tourists who were playing there happened to take pictures of it.”
Immediately, someone sent me a Reuters video.
The video wasn't very long. The person filming was quite far from the yacht where they were recording the show, and it took several adjustments to get the focus right. It was also a bit shaky.
They happened to capture Ye Zhenzhen and her group returning to the ship, completely soaked. Among the group of staff members holding cameras, Wang Liqing and others could also be seen sitting on deck chairs at the stern.
The group chat immediately became lively.
"Ahhh, it's Zhenzhen, and behind her is Prince Gu! They went to record a show together?! My daughter and son-in-law look so good together!!!"
“Zhenzhen looks so petite standing next to Crown Prince Gu. My daughter has such a great figure.”
"I looked up Gu Taizi's information. He's really tall, rich, and handsome, a perfect match for our daughter. I hope he won't hold her back when he gets on the show."
"Stop swooning! Zhenzhen is beautiful, kind-hearted, and straightforward. This trip to the travel variety show is a great opportunity to change the public's impression of her. We need to work together to fight back against the negative comments and control the narrative. We can't let the haters dominate the conversation!"
"Yes, especially those green tea bitches from Bai Xue's family. They can't stand not trying to ride on Zhenzhen's coattails for a day!"
The topic has gone viral on Weibo.
"The person behind Ye Zhenzhen is Gu Tingshen, the heir of the Gu Group! They really are a couple!!"
"They even took them to the show 'Let's Go Traveling'! Are they already married? They look so good together! I'll definitely go see it just for the handsome man and beautiful woman!"
"Someone had previously leaked that these two were already married. Is it true? Well done, travel program team, they actually managed to invite the Peach Blossom Couple."
"When is this show going to air? Hurry up, hurry up, I want to watch it!"
"What the heck is 'Peach Blossom Couple'? They already have a couple name?!"
"Wow, it feels like Prince Gu could easily grab Ye Zhenzhen's waist with one hand. The size difference is incredible! It's like a domineering CEO novel coming to life!"
"I'm a sucker for good looks. Ye Zhenzhen's acting isn't great, but her looks are undeniable. I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Did anyone notice who the other guests were? They looked pretty good from a distance, I'm really looking forward to seeing them in their swimsuits!!"
"The travel show production team is so clueless! They can't even finish editing the main episodes, can't they at least release some photos and behind-the-scenes footage first?! They need to catch the hype that's falling on their heads!!"
"Hmph, his acting skills are so bad that he can't get any roles and can only appear on variety shows. He's so low-class."
"Hey upstairs, Snow fans, stop being so sarcastic! If your idol is so high and mighty, don't participate in the variety show 'The Actors'!"
...
The Reuters video quickly spread across the internet. Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Tingshen had previously been trending on social media, and many netizens speculated about their relationship. The Reuters video essentially confirmed it.
Gu Tingshen was handling company affairs on his laptop when he received a call from his president's assistant, Li Qingshan. After listening to a few words, he raised his eyebrows, casually took out his phone, and opened Weibo.
Since his Weibo account was registered, he has only forwarded news about the Gu Group and has never posted anything about himself.
Even the profile picture is of the Gu Group headquarters building, not much different from the group's official account.
He clicked on the trending topics, glanced at them briefly, and then gave instructions in a deep voice over the phone. After hanging up, he sat silently at the table, his face still grim.
He didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry. He had only vaguely heard that Ye Zhenzhen had a bad reputation online. After all, she wasn't from a professional acting background, so it was normal for her acting skills to be ridiculed.
I only realized today that the comments section is far more chaotic than I thought, filled with all sorts of inexplicable malicious speculations and disgusting, vulgar fantasies. I can almost see their ugly faces through the phone screen.
He suddenly understood why Ye's father didn't want her to develop in the entertainment industry.
The little peach blossom, which I have carefully nurtured, I only wish to keep locked in the courtyard, so that the wind and rain outside will not harm her in the slightest.
But even if it's to force her to go back, letting her be slandered like this is going too far.
He searched for Ye Zhenzhen on Weibo, followed her, paused for a moment, then changed it to "special follow." Somewhat awkwardly, he liked her recent Weibo posts.
Headquarters of the Yip Group.
When Ye Fengxing saw the trending topic, he was initially happy that the two children had a close relationship, but then he was so angry that he almost fainted from anger at the trolls in the comments section.
He wanted to send the legal department to them, but he was afraid that Ye Zhenzhen would be unhappy with his interference and would accuse him of being a control freak.
The elderly father was both angry and heartbroken at his stubborn daughter, and could only rage helplessly in the CEO's office.
The secretary-general and public relations manager constantly monitor online trends, hiding in front of their computers to minimize their presence and avoid being affected by the boss's wrath.
"Chairman Ye, the comment section has suddenly become clean." The public relations manager was the first to notice the change.
"Let's see who did it? Was it Fengming or Taoyao?" Ye Fengxing strode over to the computer and asked with a frown.
"It's the Gu family. The Gu family has publicly issued a lawyer's letter and sued several malicious review accounts." The public relations manager quickly noticed something was wrong. After speaking, he saw that his boss's expression finally improved, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Ye Fengxing dismissed his subordinates and sat alone in his office chair. The colorful lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the night sky, making it impossible for him to see the twinkling stars. He was filled with indescribable emotions.
He was healthy and energetic from a young age, but since his wife Su He left, he often felt the impermanence of life and his own powerlessness. That's why he was willing to turn against his daughter to force her into marriage. If he were to pass away one day, at least someone would be there to protect her.
But when Gu Tingshen actually took his place as her father and sheltered her under his wings, he felt relieved but also somewhat lost.
Gazing at his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, he vaguely saw his wife appear behind him.
Her hand rested on his shoulder, her gentle smile soothing all his weariness. He gazed at her longingly, letting the bitter tears blur his vision, refusing to blink, for fear that her figure would disappear.
After taking a shower, Ye Zhenzhen rolled around on the bed for a bit, then picked up her phone to check on Feng Ming's recent activities.
She received a notification as soon as she logged into Weibo that Gu Tingshen had followed her.
Without much thought, she followed them back. Since they were both on the show together, they would definitely be involved in the promotion. If netizens found out that they weren't following each other, wouldn't that be solid proof of a fake couple?
Afraid of missing their messages, I even changed my contact to "special follow" for future interaction. Then, when I got to the homepage, I discovered I was trending again.
The Reuters video was a bit blurry, and seeing myself in it felt strange.
The trending topics had now returned to calm.
Aside from expressing their anticipation for the broadcast and speculating about their schedules, the comments section was filled with screaming chickens drooling over the screen.
She was still angry when she left, but once on the boat she was so engrossed in having fun that she didn't pay much attention to the man's physique.
The video was too short and blurry, so netizens wanted to take screenshots frame by frame to analyze it. Looking at the enlarged screenshots, Ye Zhenzhen realized that Gu Tingshen had a really good physique. He was tall and strong, with smooth and firm muscles, and his figure easily surpassed that of the young male celebrities in the entertainment industry.
With just one video, CP fans have already emerged, with all sorts of photoshopped images and jokes flying around.
She accidentally clicked into the Peach Blossom Couple CP super topic and became engrossed in it without realizing it. When she heard the door open, she looked up and saw that the man had already finished showering and entered the bedroom.
The man was wearing only a vest and was drying his hair with a towel.
A drop of water fell from his thick eyelashes, slid down his Adam's apple, and ran down his neck, disappearing into the gray fabric, leaving a faint watermark. His work vest clung tightly to his muscular chest, his muscles visibly visible as he moved.
Her eyes unconsciously followed him downwards, and when the man was almost in front of her, she realized what she was looking at and her face flushed red.
The comments from netizens are toxic!! Why do I find him incredibly sexy?!
Gu Tingshen had noticed her gaze long ago, and now that he saw her holding her phone, turning her back to him, her ears under her black hair turning bright red, he couldn't help but smirk.
Covering the camera with a towel, Gu Tingshen lifted the thin blanket and noticed her back stiffen. He lay down without making a sound, and sure enough, a moment later, he heard even breathing from the other side of the bed.
He then turned around, gently took the phone from the sleeping woman's hand, and pulled her into his arms.
A satisfied sigh came from the darkness.
Ye Zhenzhen turned her back, but couldn't resist continuing to browse the CP (couple) supertopic. One particularly imaginative CP fan had written a Mermaid AU derivative story.
The poignant love story between Ye Zhenzhen, an innocent and beautiful human princess, and Gu Tingshen, a mermaid prince.
Ye Zhenzhen was so engrossed in watching that she couldn't stop, her toes digging into the ground. Before going to sleep, she became so absorbed in the story that she found herself on a large ship. A storm was brewing, and amidst the surging waves, she was thrown off the deck. Seawater rushed in from all directions, taking away her breath.
Something was tugging at her calf. She looked down and saw a giant octopus. Its eyes gleamed in the dark seawater, and its tentacles were covered with suckers, making it look like some kind of alien creature, ferocious and terrifying.
As she struggled in fear and despair, she suddenly felt someone embrace her.
A handsome, almost otherworldly mermaid prince defeated a giant octopus and took her to his warm nest. The mermaid prince sang to her to lull her to sleep; his deep voice was melodious and pleasant, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhenzhen's fan group was buzzing with discussion.
"Ladies, I'm fighting back against the negative publicity, and suddenly the comments section under the trending topics is clear. Which side intervened?"
"I've noticed it too. A lot of trolls who usually use foul language have had their accounts banned. It's great to see!"
"I asked the assistant, and Tao Yao didn't intervene, saying that Zhenzhen doesn't like to interfere with them."
"It was the Gu family who did it! Several people who spewed nonsense have been sued by the Gu family's legal department! It's so satisfying, sisters!"
"Great! Those fans have been taking advantage of Zhenzhen ignoring them and have been being rude more than once. Finally, someone has taught them a lesson!!"
"Huh, Crown Prince Gu is usually so aloof, but I didn't expect him to be so protective of his wife. A good son-in-law is one who treats Zhenzhen well."
"Sister, didn't you see the Reuters video? Prince Gu's possessiveness towards Zhenzhen is practically overflowing the screen! Tsk tsk tsk, he practically wants to completely envelop Zhenzhen and not let anyone else see her!"
"Yeah, he seems like the kind of person who's very controlling. I wonder if he'll interfere with Zhenzhen."
"That won't do. What if they oppose Zhenzhen's career in the entertainment industry, just like Chairman Ye did?"
"The person who accompanies Zhenzhen to participate in variety shows is probably not that kind of person. Let's wait and see. It's okay to ship them appropriately, but the most important thing is still our little peach blossom!!"
........
When Ye Zhenzhen woke up the next day, she found herself in a warm embrace, her arms and legs still wrapped around the man's body, her sleeping posture completely out of place.
She instinctively rubbed against him, and the next second after seeing the furnishings in the room, she froze completely.
There's no such thing as an underwater nest or a mermaid prince!
She was secretly annoyed. In her previous life, she had always slept in her own bed since she grew up. This was the first time she had realized that she had been taking advantage of someone while sleeping!
He couldn't believe he'd taken liberties with her all night; she must have been trying to escape an octopus in her dream. After all, Gu Tingshen was asexual and emotionally apathetic.
The chest before her was warm and strong, the heartbeat steady and powerful; she felt her own heartbeat growing louder. She thought the man was still asleep and slowly moved away, but the moment she made a movement, he pulled her closer.
The person in her sleep patted her back, and a low, husky voice sounded in her ear, making half of her body go numb. "Zhenzhen? Don't worry, the octopus ran away. Go to sleep."
Octopus?!
Her eyes widened, and she was fully awake. "How did you know about the octopus in my dream?!"
[Author's Note]
Haha, the mermaid prince is so domineering and handsome!
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